No more phone calls

No. No. And, NO!

That’s the answer to a recent spate of phone calls and e-mail from readers who’d like to draft me for public office because they fancy things I’ve written.

First, and I say this with the utmost respect, such an idea is an inappropriate response to who I am and what I do. I’m a newspaper guy, which means I get paid in part to tell the unvarnished truth as I see it without measuring the consequences. In this day of made-to-order politicians who don’t know what they think — or even what to wear — until the polls are in, that makes me unelectable, even as Searchlight dog catcher.

Second, and I can see in my mind’s eye Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. John Ensign, Gov. Jim Gibbons, Mayor Oscar Goodman and a slew of state legislators collectively nodding their heads when I say this: Why in the world would I trade a perfectly good private preaching job for a public job that would require me to actually practice what I preach?

Look, just because I am sometimes critical of, say, Sen. Reid’s performance, doesn’t mean I want to run against him or even that I think Reid ought to be defeated if he runs again in 2010. That’s a whole separate question which will come soon enough.

So, curb your enthusiasm, stop the phone calls and please remember what it is I do and the role I serve as your newspaper publisher.

For example, from time to time I preach about proper disposition of public land. That doesn’t mean I seek to sit in the mayor’s chair. I only want hizhonor to respect taxpayer property and, if it’s not asking too much, resist cutting sweetheart deals for his pals at taxpayer expense. Is that so hard?

I favor better indigent care at the county hospital. That doesn’t mean I want to run the University Medical Center. I just want UMC honchos to mind the store and heal people. If that means holding the feet of unindicted Clark County commissioners to the fire until they focus properly on this problem, it’s worth it.

During the last governor’s race when now-Gov. Jim Gibbons faced his “girl” problems, I lambasted Gibbons for “escorting” a tipsy woman to her truck. It didn’t mean I wanted to run for governor, it only meant I wanted the soon-to-be governor to behave better.

See what I mean?

Yes, I think Sen. Reid has stumbled badly out of the gate in 2007. And, I suppose, if he continues to be known as “Runaway Harry” on the war on terror and marks his tenure as Senate majority leader by pushing the approval ratings of the Senate to the lowest in American history, there could be consequences for him in Nevada.

But please, as the publisher of the state’s largest newspaper and an occasional columnist, please don’t mistake me for a wanna-be politician. I’m more like a missionary. I look to inform, enlighten and preach. Sometimes that takes the form of commending good work. And sometimes that means taking to task even the most powerful among us.

Imitation is …

It is flattering when someone else thinks enough of your work to pick it up and either repeat it or work with it. The Kansas City Star picked up on my column two weeks ago assessing the performance of Sen. Reid. They particularly liked the part in which I said: “On immigration,” Reid “led like a sheep. And, like a sheep, he got sheared.”

It was a good line, if I do say so myself. But the Star took it one step further and found a picture of Sen. Reid to fit the topic. It was very clever, but I don’t expect it to be used by the “Re-elect” Harry campaign crowd. In fact, I suspect they hope what happens in Kansas City stays in Kansas City.

So naturally, I thought you might like to see it (at right).

Monkey business

On a related note, I had to smile at the weekly “I hate Sherm” column by my steamed colleague Brian Greenspun over at the Sun. As usual, his taunts are sophomoric, boring and a chore to read.

For those who try, I have a story (which is absolutely true) that may help.

It’s about a monkey I once saw as a kid in my neighborhood pet shop.

This little monkey had a problem with … well … let’s just say as politely as possible that the little guy had a penchant for engaging in repeated acts of self-gratification.

When unsuspecting customers wandered near the monkey’s cage, he would squeak in anger, pull a blanket over his lap and then furiously continue on as if no one could see what he was doing.

That’s Brian Greenspun in a nutshell. When he is caught in his journalistic acts of self indulgence, Brian angrily squeaks and pulls a blanket over his figurative lap. Then, he pounds away, as it were, as if people are unable to see what’s really going on.

But, of course, they can.

Hey, do you think the Kansas City Star can work with that image?

Sherman Frederick is publisher of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and president of Stephens Media. Readers may write him at sfrederick@reviewjournal.com.